An introduction to Cardinal Wamala (you'll like this)

From the Jamaica Gleaner, a good interview with Cardinal Wamala, the archbishop of Kampala, Uganda.

Cardinal Wamala, 80, is a very impressive fellow.

For one, he is notable for his reduction of HIV/AIDS in his country without recourse to condoms. A good quote on this topic from him:

"[Wamala] said the importation of condoms does not cure the disease. Wamala used an analogy of a bicycle to explain the dangers of importing condoms and supplying them to peasants.

He said by supplying condoms, the government was giving bicycles without breaks to the peasants and then asking them to slope down a hill when it's raining. "No matter how good you are riding, there are few chances of escaping an accident," Wamala said."

Other good quotes/stories about the Cardinal:

"He lashed out at priests who lock churches for fear of thieves, saying this prevents Christians from confessing when they want. Wamala said thieves cannot steal from a church when people are praying."

A particularly revealing story about him being taken as a hostage(!):

(September 9, 2004) The last time a film-like hostage taking saga happened in Uganda was in 1992 when Cardinal Emmanuel Wamala was held by an armed man demanding a rather unusual ransom.

The day was Monday, February 3, 1992 as Wamala received visitors in his office following a funeral service for the late Prof. Sebastian Kyalwazi. President Yoweri Museveni had also attended the service.

Wamala's 21-hour ordeal at his office started at 11:00am. A visitor, who identified himself as Saidi Bingo, reached into his bag and got out a coat and two bombs, and the ordeal started. Bingo ordered Wamala to ring Museveni and convey his demands. But the Cardinal thought fast and told his captor that the phones were out of order. He instead offered to write a note to the President about the kidnapper's demands.

Bingo told Museveni not to mobilise a rescue or he would kill Wamala. He asked that the President pays a ransom of three human beings: The manager of Florian Bar 1989 at Nakivubo, the cashier at the same bar and a man who he said had been with the cashier the previous night. He said he wanted them over infecting his wife with HIV/AIDS.

He also wanted an announcement on radio Uganda that he had taken the Cardinal hostage.

Bingo went to the loo in the cardinal's office and the prelate escaped. Bingo tried to pursue him, but hastily pulled back when security operatives disguised as priests opened fire. He stayed quiet for about 30 minutes and then a bang! Bingo had blown himself up with his bombs.

He gave up retiring to Britain last year (at 79):

Kampala - In a special edition of Catholic News Report, to mark a decade as Cardinal, Wamala said he preferred to retire within Uganda."When the Holy Father permits me to retire, I will retire in Uganda although my friends in Britain had asked me to spend my retirement with them," Wamala told the magazine.

The end-of-the-year party is always at Cardinal Wamala's!

Wamala was on Wednesday hosting children to an end-of-year party at his residence, after a special mass service for them at Rubaga Cathedral.

Wamala and Kassuja cut a Christmas cake and personally served the children amidst singing and dancing.

Wamala condemned those who kill children, either through abortion, war or accidents and appealed to them to repent their sins and turn to God for forgiveness. He asked the children to love each other, saying they would get the blessings of God.

And he tells it to them straight:

Emmanuel Cardinal Wamala has advised Ugandans to desist from telling lies and killing each other like animals.

“In the book of Genesis, God created many things before creating Adam and Eve to be masters of all things on earth. And we should be wiser and behave better than animals. But sometimes we behave as if we were not human beings created by God in his image. We kill, punish and destroy each other’s property,” he said.

They say Africa is the future of the Church. Reading about good Cardinals like Wamala, I'm very content with that.